Longmead Woods Trilogy Page 5

  The duke’s fingers clawed at the dirt and gouged the soft marshy ground while waves of pleasure battered his body. His eyelids fluttered open as a gray dawn peeped above the horizon, and he gazed at his lower extremities and at Nate. I cannot have Samuel eyeing Nate’s privates—or mine. Heaving himself up, he slipped off his ragged jacket and tied it around his hips.

  Frederick handed his waistcoat to Nate, and the omega raised a brow as he fingered the torn garment. “Fashion it between your legs. Samuel has a weak heart so hide your dick.”

  His lordship shrugged and swaddled his cock with what was left of the garment.

  “Come.”

  The duke strode ahead around the lake and met Samuel on the path to Longmead Hall.

  “Sire?”

  The porter’s eyes roamed over the duke’s bare chest and legs and then flicked to Nate.

  “There was an incident at Hammond Manor, Samuel. This is Lord Elgin.”

  The porter tipped his hat. “M’lord.” He turned to the duke. “Vulcan came home by himself, Your Grace.”

  The duke nodded and marched through the grass with Nate straggling along behind. A snicker had Frederick glance at Samuel, who covered his amusement by coughing. A breeze tickled the duke’s thighs, and he gingerly slid his hand over his backside—his bare backside.

  Nate giggled. “You are showing your true colors, Your Grace.” The duke glared at him and stalked toward home.

  Nathaniel

  Nate waddled behind Frederick with the waistcoat bunched between his legs. He longed to submerge himself in a hot bath and soak his aching limbs. He was covered in mud and stank of lakebed sludge and he plucked crinkled leaves from his hair.

  But despite the discomfort, he hummed and eyed his lover’s naked behind as the duke stalked ahead of him. Yesterday he had been alone, sequestered at Hammond Manor awaiting an evening where he provided pleasure and was paid for his services. And now he had been marked by the highest-ranking nobleman in the alpha and omega community.

  Though the omega was a gentleman and accustomed to the conventions of polite society, he was unsure what lay ahead. He marked me. Will Frederick introduce me to his family? Will he expect me to stay at Longmead Hall? We have not discussed this. We have not talked at all.

  His thoughts were interrupted as his companion yelled, “Winters.” The steward raced outside, a napkin tucked into his shirt and his wig askew. His eyes bulged as he eyed the duke’s bare chest and thighs. “Your Grace. We did not expect you home until later.”

  The duke’s voice was shrill as he barked orders. “See to it that Lord Elgin has food and drink and hot water for bathing. And bring him a set of clothes.”

  “Will his Lordship be staying the night, Your Grace?”

  Nate adjusted the swaddling between his legs and Frederick grimaced, but his eyes did not meet his mate’s. The duke’s cheeks and ears were tinged with pink as he continued inside.

  He is struggling with something. Does he regret marking me?

  “Please take Lord Elgin to the clergy’s closet.”

  Nate’s mouth gaped. The house he grew up in had a clergy’s closet—most noble families had them in their homes. It was a secret room, where the entrance was concealed by a painting or carpet, and could be used during times of persecution when alphas and omegas—particularly children, and omegas in heat or with child—could be hidden.

  No. This is his awkward attempt at wit.

  With one hand on his makeshift garb, the omega raced ahead in front of his lover as the alpha strutted into the house. Nate grabbed his arm.

  “Lord Elgin?” The duke’s eyes were guarded as he glanced from the omega’s hand to his face.

  “You are locking me away. Are you ashamed of me?”

  Frederick glanced over his shoulder as the steward averted his gaze and flicked dust off a vase. “Lower your voice. It is for your own safety.”

  “Safe from the alphas?”

  “Perchance.”

  The duke attempted a smile, but it did not reach his eyes and he continued along the corridor. But Nate barred his lover’s way. Not lover. Mate. He marked you.

  “You are in my home now, Lord Elgin.” The duke’s disembodied voice was a contrast to the emotion and energy that flowed through Nate.

  “You want me to hide.”

  “It is for your own good. The clergy’s closet is quite large, with a bed, books and candles. Once the danger has passed, you may come out.”

  “But the others will not come for me now.” His lordship lowered his voice and pointed to the crimson laceration on his shoulder. “You marked me.”

  Winters cleared his throat as he gazed at his shoes and shuffled his feet. His face and neck were flushed as he turned his head away from the pair.

  “I cannot do this now. I need a bath and food. We shall discuss the matter later.”

  “So, this was a mistake, something you can overlook because I was in danger. You did not plan for this to happen and it can be annulled or wished away just like Princess Matilda’s marriage?”

  Nate’s voice rose and broke as he searched the duke’s face for a glimmer of affection. But Frederick’s steely gaze had his lordship hug himself as he shifted weight from one foot to another. Nate blinked back tears. He looked into Frederick’s gray eyes noting the dark flecks. How could I have fallen for this? I believed we were bound and that it could only be broken by death. I am such a fool.

  The lifting of sorrow that had him lightheaded since fleeing Hammond Manor cloaked him once more. His lordship searched the duke’s face for signs of remorse or regret, but it was impassive and ice-cold. The cuts and bruises from last evening screamed and jabbed at Nate’s skin and he longed to sleep, but if he wanted to be left with one shred of dignity, he had to act.

  “I have been a prisoner of my poverty since my brother threw me out. I will not allow you to confine me on a senseless whim because this is not part of your life’s plan.”

  Making a dignified speech and being half naked was incompatible, but Nate straightened his spine and lifted his chin as he delivered the words that tore at the fabric of his being.

  “Nate.” The duke’s voice softened and the omega’s heart leaped. “You are making too much of this.”

  Turn around and walk away, Nate. “I bid you good day and goodbye, Your Grace.” The omega turned on his bare heel and made for the door. He blinked back tears as he stumbled outside. Do not cry. Wait until you are out of sight. He strained to hear footsteps behind him, but there was only silence. Frederick will come after me. He must. Our bond is unbreakable.

  The rough gravel dug into Nate’s feet and he limped along the driveway. He had neither food, nor clothes nor money. His borrowed horse was at Hammond Manor—two miles hence. And I will not be welcome there even if I could sneak in and retrieve Tobias’ horse. I should have waited until Winters gave me a set of clothes. Fool!

  Though the omega was yards away from the alpha, his mate’s scent was overpowering. It teased his nostrils and left him lightheaded. My sense of smell is heightened. Is this a result of mating?

  As the gate loomed ahead, Nate’s lips trembled. The loss of material possessions was an inconvenience, but he grieved over his mate’s rejection. I am destined to be alone. Having been marked, it was now forbidden for another alpha to mate with him. He has made me a prisoner as surely as if he locked me in that wretched clergy’s closet. But I do not want anyone else. I want him.

  A hand on his shoulder had him recoil.

  “Frederick!”

  “Please Nate. You cannot leave.”

  “I can and I shall. This is me walking away.” The omega shook his mate off and stalked toward the gate. But a booming voice behind him yelled, “We are bound, you and I. I cannot bear for us to be apart.”

  Nate stopped, but did not turn around. “And yet you ordered me locked away in a dark, dank hole.”

  “Oh, it was not…”

  “Frederick!”

  “It was to prot
ect you but not from the other alphas, but… from… me!”

  “You?”

  “I am overcome with emotion, Nate. If I let my instinct take over, I would throw you on the ground now and possess you. Over and over.”

  Despite his heartache, Nate smirked. He pointed at the shingle drive. “The forest floor was preferable, Your Grace. This would be hard on the knees.”

  The duke’s mouth gaped but then his shoulders shuddered as laughter bubbled from his chest. “Can you forgive me for being a donkey’s arse?”

  Nate peered around at Frederick’s backside. “I can assure you, your rear end is nothing like a donkey’s. I believe oaf is a more appropriate insult.”

  “Is this oaf forgiven?”

  The omega nodded. “There is a bond between us. One that both of us sensed long before you claimed me, Frederick.”

  “And it is indestructible. I just want to keep you safe and be with you. Always.”

  “I am no expert on mating and relationships.”

  “We shall learn together.”

  Nate longed to fling himself into the duke’s embrace. Do not push him. Wait, until you are alone.

  “This is new to me. I am overwhelmed.” The duke rubbed his forehead and extended his trembling fingers to his mate. Nate grasped them and squeezed.

  “Winters,” the duke bellowed to his steward, who stood at the other end of the drive. “Take Lord Elgin to Lady Ainsworth’s old room.”

  After eating and washing and clad in Frederick’s clothes, Nate made his way to his mate’s dressing room. But he grimaced as a bilious taste rose in his throat, and he placed a palm on his queasy stomach. After being presented with a tray of food, he had nibbled on bread but little else.

  The door to the duke’s dressing room slammed as Nate turned into the corridor and a female voice inside had him pause and put his ear to the wooden panels.

  “Eleanor, I was not expecting you. Such a pleasant surprise.”

  The duke’s sister.

  “Are you going to tell me what happened or do I have to wheedle it out of you? Do not pretend there is nothing amiss. You are covered in scratches and bruises.”

  “Would you care for a brandy?”

  “It must be scandalous if you are drinking before luncheon.”

  “The drink is for you.”

  “Is it that bad?”

  As Nate pressed his ear to the door, he heard a thump as someone collapsed into a chair.

  “What have you heard, Eleanor?”

  “There was a disturbance at the bawdy house last night.”

  “Do not use that word. It sounds so… sordid.”

  “Freddie, what happened?”

  Freddie? Nate stifled a giggle.

  A clinking of glasses followed by a whiff of brandy wafting under the door had Nate’s belly churning. The bread threatened to reappear, and he sagged against the wall.

  “Lord Nathaniel Elgin. His father disowned him and his brother kicked him off the estate. He is penniless and needed money.”

  “He offered his services at Hammond Manor?”

  “Exactly.”

  Nate strained to hear Lady Ainsworth’s words.

  “And you fucked him?”

  “Eleanor!”

  “You do recall I have two children? That did not happen by magic.”

  “So that dim-witted husband has taught you vulgar language.”

  “Bravo, Freddie. Two insults in one sentence.”

  “Oh, Nor-nor, what have I done?”

  He regrets our coming together.

  “You must tell me, Freddie. I cannot read your mind.”

  “His… his heat cycle began.”

  “No!”

  There was a pause in conversation. “That scent.”

  “The brandy? My scented kerchief?”

  “No.”

  Footsteps pacing across the floor had Nate push himself away from the door as Frederick flung it open. “Nate.”

  As the omega slumped against the wall with his eyelids threatening to close, the duke glared at him.

  “Please introduce us, Freddie.”

  The duke guided the omega into the dressing room. Nate stared into gray eyes identical to the duke’s. But instead of scowling at him, the alpha’s sister rose and grasped his hand.

  “This is my sister, Lady Ainsworth.”

  “How do you do, Lord Elgin?”

  Nate kissed her hand. But Eleanor’s lavender perfume and the sweet sickly odor of brandy overpowered Nate and his knees buckled. The room spun round him, and the world went dark.

  “Nate!”

  When the omega opened his eyes, he was on the settee with Lady Ainsworth fanning him. The duke was pacing the floor and wringing his hands.

  Nate tried to sit. “My apologies. I do not know what came over me.”

  Frederick’s sister eyed him and felt his forehead. “Have you experienced this previously, Lord Elgin?”

  Nate waved his hand and dismissed her concern. “I am sure it is a trifling cold. Nothing more.”

  Eleanor’s eyes flicked from Nate to her brother. “Let us dispense with formalities. Please call me Eleanor.”

  “My family call me Nate.”

  The duke peered at his mate’s face and clasped his clammy palm. “I shall send for a physician.”

  But his sister shook her head. “That is not necessary, Freddie.”

  “I agree. I need to rest.” The omega struggled to sit. “I shall return to my room.”

  Eleanor sighed. “You are both grown men and yet you are as innocent as children. Can you not guess what has happened?”

  Nate’s eyes widened, and he grasped his belly as he glanced at Frederick.

  “I believe Lord Elgin—Nate—has guessed. Thank goodness one of you is mature enough for parenthood.”

  “Parenthood!” Do not be absurd, Eleanor. We were together for the first time only a few hours ago.”

  “Did you not pay attention to our governess when she taught us about our past?”

  “I am an alpha and the head of the family. I am well aware of the history of our community.”

  “You are a pompous pig, Freddie.”

  The duke nodded as he collapsed beside Nate. “That much is true.”

  Eleanor caught Nate’s eye and they shared a grin.

  The omega drew his knees under him and stroked his belly. He rested his head on Frederick’s shoulder as he envisioned himself on a swing in the garden rocking a baby—their baby—in his arms. He had never considered being a parent. Winning at cards and painting pretty pictures were not useful parenting skills. And yet now, he could think of little else.

  “When was your cycle due, Nate?

  “Not for another fortnight.”

  “You see, Freddie.”

  “I do not see at all.”

  “When an omega and alpha are fated and they finally meet, the omega’s heat cycle begins. Impregnation is immediate and the gestation period is accelerated.”

  Blood drained from the duke’s face.

  “You are going to be a father, Freddie.”

  “A father? A baby?”

  “Stop babbling or I shall give you a baby’s rattle to amuse you.” Eleanor turned to the omega. “Have you had any other symptoms, Nate?”

  His lordship rubbed his chest. “I am very tender but I assumed it was due to a fall we… I had.”

  The duke slumped onto Nate’s shoulder. “I do not understand. I went to Hammond Manor last evening, an unattached alpha seeking pleasure. And now I have a mate and a baby is on the way.”

  “You sound disappointed, Your Grace.” Nate’s voice was brittle as his heart swelled with disappointment.

  “No, Nate. I am stunned. My life…”

  “Our lives.”

  “You are right. Our lives have changed overnight. It is a lot to take in.”

  “Congratulations are in order. I am going to be an aunt.” Eleanor clapped her hands and tittered. “I never thought you would become a fa
ther.” She covered her mouth with a cushion as her brother glared at her.

  “If you do not stop, I shall lock you in the dungeon.”

  Eleanor’s voice was muffled by the cushion. “Stop being ridiculous. There is no dungeon in this house. We have servants’ quarters and a wine cellar. Though there is a clergy’s closet.”

  The omega ignored the siblings’ teasing and placed both hands on the duke’s face. “Can you do this, Frederick?”

  “Of course. I never allowed myself to consider mating and being a parent. Duty always came first.”

  Eleanor stood. “I shall leave you alone. But before I go, I must remind you that after Mama died and Papa was overwhelmed with grief, you were both mother and father to us.”

  Nate blinked away tears as he imagined Frederick parenting his younger siblings with no partner by his side and putting their needs above his. He can do this.

  As his sister headed to the door, the duke called out. “You said accelerated. What did you mean?”

  “This is the first week of spring, so the baby will be here early summer.”

  Frederick stared at Nate, and the omega grasped his hand and placed it over his belly. “We have a child on the way.”

  The duke placed an arm around his mate and nuzzled his head. “I hope the baby’s hair is not messy like yours.”

  Nate giggled. “We shall see, F… Freddie,” and he snuggled into his mate’s side as a delicious drowsiness crept over him.

  Frederick

  The duke leaned on the wall of his summer house as Nate sat near the double doors facing the woods. A gentle breeze ruffled his lordship’s hair as he sat on a stool painting the bucolic scene outside. He wore an ivory apron tied around his neck and his burgeoning bump protruded so far it nearly touched the canvas as he leaned over toward the easel.

  His lordship had a brush between his teeth and his brow wrinkled as he slapped sapphire-blue watercolor on his work. Flecks of paint spattered his apron and his face.